The invention relates generally to semiconductor device fabrication and, in particular, to pixel sensor cells and methods of fabricating pixel sensor cells, as well as design structures for a pixel sensor cell.
Digital cameras and optical imaging devices, such as web cameras and cell phone cameras, may employ (CMOS) pixel sensor cells to convert a visual image to digital data that may be represented by a picture. Each pixel sensor cell includes multiple photodiodes each masked by an optical filter with a different passband representing a range of wavelengths transmitted with minimal attenuation. Each photodiode converts the incident light into charge carriers that are collected in a charge collection well. Periodically, charge is transferred from the charge collection well to a floating diffusion region of the pixel sensor cell and temporarily stored. During a read out of the pixel sensor cell, a read circuit detects the amount of stored charge and converts the stored charge into an output voltage from the pixel sensor cell.
Improved pixel sensor cells and fabrication methods for pixel sensor cells, as well as design structures for pixel sensor cells, are needed.